In today’s episode of The Nordic Reader, we are joined by translator Lola Rogers to discuss her translation of Johanna Sinisalo’s novel, The Core of the Sun. Originally published in Finnish in 2013, Lola’s English translation was published by Grove Atlantic in 2016.
Lola is an award-winning Finnish to English literary translator. She has translated 21 novels, as well as short stories, comics, poems, children’s literature, nonfiction and essays. Some of the most well-known titles that she has translated include Fishing for the Little Pike/Summer Fishing in Lapland by Juhani Karila, When the Doves disappeared and Purge, by Sofi Oksanen, The Healer by Antti Tuomainen, The Colonel’s Wife by Rosa Liksom and today’s book, The Core of the Sun, by Johanna Sinisalo.
Johanna Sinisalo is one of Finland’s most prominent contemporary writers. The Core of the Sun is set in an alternate, dystopian reality, a Finnish “eusistocracy”. Public health and social stability are the only goals, and to this end, gender relations have been re-codified. Women have been selectively bred to be desirable elois, beautiful and uneducated, meant for homemaking and childrearing, or are shunned as morlocks. There is a strict prohibition on all substances - alcohol, drugs, and most importantly, chilli. The novel’s main character is Vera. A “capso” - a capsaicin addict - and a morlock pretending to be an eloi woman, Vera is hiding from the all-powerful Authority. But when Vera's younger sister Mira disappears, Vera is desperate to find out what happened to her. As she battles to discover the truth, Vera becomes increasingly involved in the illicit chilli trade, and must navigate her own relationships and future in this dystopian society.
Find more information about Lola's work here: https://feltcooperative.org/lola-rogers-cv/
Books mentioned:
The Core of the Sun - Johanna Sinisalo
Troll: A Love Story - Johanna Sinisalo
Blood of Angels - Johanna Sinisalo
Summer Fishing in Lapland/Fishing for the Little Pike - Juhani Karila
On the Calculation of Volume - Solvej Balle
The Wax Child - Olga Ravn
The Proof of My Innocence - Jonathan Coe
Atonement - Ian McEwan
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
1984 - George Orwell
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Hunger Games - Susanne Collins
The Maze Runner - James Dashner
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Phillip K Dick
Next Up: The Letter Carrier - Francesca Giannone
Guest: Lola Rogers
Producer and Host: Mia Todd
Co-host: Francis Neale
Editing and Marketing: Hanna Todd
